George Friend is hoping a small procedure can help the defender return to action after having troubles with a thigh injury for a number of months.
The defender found himself injured at the back end of last season having damaged his adductor tendons in a fixture at Swansea in April. Since then, he hasn't been back to himself and has failed to have a proper pre-season under his belt.
The 31-year-old made his first appearance of the season against Crewe in the Carabao Cup but in his first league game against Blackburn he was taken off with just seven minutes left in the ninety.
Speaking to Teesside Live at the MFC Foundation's East Cleveland launch in Loftus, Friend said: "I'm still not quite right, I need a little bit longer to recover. I was hoping to be back around this time, the international break. I'm having a small procedure next week to clear up a bit of scar tissue.